Designing Undergraduate Internships to Foster Ethical Leadership

Abstract

Undergraduate internships are among one of the several high impact practices (HIPs) related to deep learning, self-reported gains, and effective educational practices (Kuh, 2008). HIPs, as measured by the National Survey on Student Engagement, utilize active learning practices, and share several traits: (1) they demand considerable time and effort; (2) facilitate learning outside of the classroom; (3) require meaningful interactions with faculty and students; (4) encourage collaboration with diverse others; and (5) provide frequent and substantive feedback (National Survey on Student Engagement). Other cited benefits of undergraduate internships include: providing a preview of careers (Bailey, Barber, & Nelson, 2016), developing abilities and skills that increase employability (Landrum & Harrold, 2003), and offering "meaningful professional direction after graduation" (American Psychological Association, 2013). Nonetheless, there have been challenges to developing outcomes research that captures the student growth that occurs in internship experiences, and other HIPs. Brownell and Swaner (2010) identify some of the main limitations, which include research that too broadly defines the practice, lack of comparisons with different groups, lack of matched comparison and nonparticipant groups, reliance on self-reported, quantitative measures, and a lack of cross-institutional comparisons and longitudinal studies. In this article, the authors (1) draw from relevant college impact studies, and research from undergraduate leadership programs that point to a link between internships and socially responsible leadership; (2) discuss the constructs of social responsibility, leadership identity, and moral identity; (3) share a description of a professional mentor model that emphasizes ethical decision-making and professional identity through a year-long, required capstone internship for psychology majors; and (4) provide concluding remarks on best practices for internships centered around professional and leadership development.